


The Warm Glow of Home

by shamelessfiction (shamelssfiction)



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 00:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18399488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamelssfiction/pseuds/shamelessfiction
Summary: Monica is 13 and it shows. Maria's trying to stay calm in the face of teen angst. Carol flies home and right into the middle of an argument between mother and daughter.Domesticity and parenting and fast space ships ahead.





	The Warm Glow of Home

"Monica. Monica! Get back down here!"

Maria hated raising her voice but some days lately, Monica just drove her to the edge of her patience. She was 13 and full of the angst, hormones and drama that came along with that age.

"You don't even care if I'm happy." Monica yelled from the top of the stairs. "You never let me do anything!"

Maria took a deep breath and regarded her daughter for moment. She pressed her mouth into a tight line.

"You go ahead and stay up there." She said, her voice dropping into a deadly quiet whisper. "I will talk to you when you have come to your senses."

Monica knew better than to argue back once her mother was at the furious whisper stage. Still, she stomped all the way down the hall to her room, and slammed the door shut behind her.

A shivering echo of the slam still hung in the air when Carol entered through the front door a split second later. 

Maria turned, surprised to see her. Last they had spoken, Carol was in another solar system on hero duty, not due back for another few months at least. But now here she was, walking through the door, her red, gold and blue uniform the brightest spot in the darkening evening light. 

Carol leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey, babe." 

She lingered for just a second against Maria's soft skin before striding over to the foot of the stairs.

"Hey, Monica?" She called.

Monica immediately opened her door. "Auntie Carol?" 

Within seconds Monica had descended the stairs and wrapped Carol in a tight hug. 

Carol squeezed back. "Happy to see you too." After a moment she let go, and regarded Monica at arms length. "However, not thrilled to come home to you yelling and slamming doors on your mom."

Monica frowned. "But, she..."

Carol stopped her with a look. 

“I don't know what's got you so mad but I do know your mom loves you and I'm sure you two can talk it out. Now, Im going to take your mom outside to show her something and you're gonna take this time and think about how to talk respectfully about what's bothering you."

Monica nodded, but under her breath she muttered. "She doesn't let me do anything though."

Maria caught Carol's eye and mouthed "You see?"

Carol shook her head, stifling a laugh, and took Maria's hand to pull her outside. 

"What's so funny?," Maria asked once they were on the porch with the front door shut behind them. 

"Isnt this the exact fight you and your mom when you were 13?" Carol said, as she led Maria across the lawn toward the hangar. 

"Well, yeah." Maria said. "But she really didn't let me do anything." 

She gave Carol's hand a quick squeeze and looked down at her, grinning. 

Carol smiled back. They slowed to a stop outside the hangar, lost in each other's gaze.

"So," Maria took a step closer to Carol "Did you come home just to prevent me from killing our child? Or is there some alien invasion I should be worried about?"

Carol tilted her face up toward Maria. "I just missed you," she said against Maria's mouth. 

Maria kissed her softly, stroking the tip of her tongue against Carol's top lip.

Carol sighed, pulled Maria closer and kissed back until they were both panting and heated, stumbling across the grass as they sought out more contact with each other. After a few fumbling steps, Carol's back made contact with the hangar wall and she was able to steady them. 

“Is this what you brought me outside for?” Maria murmured against Carol's ear, then bent to nip at the soft skin of her neck. The high collar of Carol's uniform got in the way and she let out a small frustrated huff. 

“Mmm…” Carol leaned into her caress. “Actually, no.” 

She tasted Maria once more, deep and eager, and then pulls away with small lingering kisses, the promise of more later. 

“This is what I brought you outside for.”

Carol swiped across the forearm of her suit and a lighted panel flickered into view. A few quick motions of her fingers and in a flash, a sleek low space craft appeared on the lawn, where a second ago there was nothing. 

Maria gasped.

“Cool right? This cloaking tech on this thing is next level.”

“You flew here in this?” Maria approached the craft, marveling at its gleaming wings. “Didnt make a sound when you landed.”

Carol nodded, smiling. “Testing out out for Fury. Got it up to Mach 25 in the outer belt. Faster than I can go on my own.”

“But what kind of thermal control...wait, is this our tech or,” Maria waved her hand at the stars, “theirs?”

“Joint project.” Carol answered. She swiped across her suit again, opening a door that had been invisible against the aircraft. “Wanna check out the controls?”

Maria didn't answer, just dove through the door and scrambled up to the cockpit. The craft was roomier than she expected from the outer dimensions, with comfortable seats for a couple of passengers as well as the pilot and copilot. 

Maria slipped into the pilot seat, and examined the few controls in front of her. The panel didn't seem to contain nearly enough flight instruments.

She turned to Carol. “Where's the…”

Carol sat in the co pilot seat, took Maria’s wrist and held her hand, palm flat, to a plate of black glass sunken into the dash. An array of holographic instruments hovered to life above the dashboard. A few ridges, knobs and switches emerged noiselessly from formerly flat and seamless places along the panel. 

“Nice!” Maria’s eyes lit up. She poked at the instruments and peppered Carol with questions about navigation, vector speed and response times. 

“Why don't we take it up tomorrow and you can find out for yourself?”

Maria looked over at Carol raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, like Im cleared to copilot this zillion dollar thing.”

“All clear. Fury signed off on you specifically. And you can stay in that seat. I'll be your first officer. Let you enjoy a few hours of telling me what to do.”

Maria’s sceptical look turned to a sultry smirk. “You know you love it when I tell you what to do.”

“Well,” Carol admitted. “In certain circumstances.”

They leaned across the seats to kiss, but the distance was just a few inches too far to be comfortable for long. 

“Actually, I was thinking we could take Monica.” Carol said when they lean back again. 

“To space?” Maria said. 

“Just for lunch. Picnic in low orbit might be cool enough to put some of her teen angst in perspective.”

“Well, I don't know anything on or off this planet will ever make up for missing out on soggy pizza and warm wine coolers in some 9th grader's basement. But I'm sure she'll say yes if you suggest it.”

Carol reached out for Maria again, stroked the pad her thumb along the back of her hand. 

“I miss her. I miss you all the time…” Carol was about to fade into a romantic reverie when she shook herself alert again. “Wait, wait, wait, wine coolers?”

“Why do you think I said no to her going to this party? Last week they tried to bring that nonsense here, you know I was having none of it. Rounded up their stupid Seagrams bottles and kicked them right out.”

“But...they're in middle school. They can't be...”

“Carol. When's the first time you had a wine cooler?”

Carol cringed. “Summer after 8th grade. We used to go to David Sally's house and play Seven Minutes in Heaven…” Her eyes widened and she straightened up in her chair. “Monica is never leaving the house again.” 

Maria laughed. “I think we can allow some exceptions. Chess tournaments and space camp only.”

“Space camp, all those cocky pilot types? Not fuckin’ likely.”

Maria picked up their joined hands and bent to place a small sucking kiss on the tip of Carol’s middle finger. “Oh, I dont know. Some cocky pilot types have a heart under all the swagger.”

Carol turned and tried to embrace Maria, but the seats were too far apart and armrests got in the way. 

“Wanna take this back inside where I can actually reach you?” Carol asked

Maria nodded. “We should check on “Lieutenant Pain in the Neck, too”

Carol winked at her, and Maria's heart fluttered. She stepped out of the craft and walked toward the house blushing. She felt silly, but thrilled. Almost 15 years, but she still felt giddy when Carol flirted. 

Inside, Monica had fallen asleep watching TV. On the coffee table in front of her there were two folded pieces of notebook paper. One note said Mom, one note said Carol. 

Maria and Carol picked up the notes and read. 

“Mom, I am sorry. I still think you should trust me more but I know I shouldn't yell. Love, Monica.” 

“Well, it's a start.” Maria sighed. “What'd you get?” 

Carol was looking positively teary over her note. She sniffed and handed it over to Maria. 

“Aunty Carol, I am so sorry that you came all the way home from space and found me flipping out on mom. I'm trying to grow up to be a real hero like you, but some days I'm not great at it yet. I'll keep trying. Just like you always teach me. I love you. Monica.”

“How’d she turn out so completely amazing?” Carol asked, staring down at Monica's sleeping form with a look of wonder. 

“We made her that way.” Maria placed a kiss at Carol's temple, and moved to cover Monica with a light blanket from the arm of the couch. 

She turned back to Carol. “So now that the 8th grader is out of the way...what do you say to some confiscated wine coolers and seven minutes in heaven?”

Carol laughed and tugged Maria toward her. “What I have in mind is gonna take a lot longer than seven minutes.”

They kissed. Carol shone golden, the cold light of the stars transformed into the warm glow of home.


End file.
